Salon.com > Downton Abbeyhttp://www.salon.com
Sun, 02 Aug 2015 20:00:00 +0000enhourly1The truth about TV’s rape obsession: How we struggle with the broken myths of masculinity, on screen and offhttp://www.salon.com/2015/06/25/the_truth_about_tvs_rape_obsession_how_we_struggle_with_the_broken_myths_of_masculinity_on_screen_and_off/
http://www.salon.com/2015/06/25/the_truth_about_tvs_rape_obsession_how_we_struggle_with_the_broken_myths_of_masculinity_on_screen_and_off/#commentsThu, 25 Jun 2015 17:55:00 +0000Sonia Saraiyahttp://www.salon.com/?p=14002177“The Sopranos” did it in 2001, when Lorraine Bracco’s Jennifer Melfiwas suddenly and violently raped in a parking garage. “Veronica Mars” made it part of the titular protagonist’s backstory, in the 2004 pilot. In 2006, “The Wire” introduced and then never confirmed it, when it showed us the story of Randy (Maestro Harrell) keeping watch as a girl named Tiff “fooled around” with two boys in the bathroom. “Mad Men” did it in 2008, when Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) was raped by her fiancé, Greg (Sam Page) on the floor of Don’s office.

A few shows were practically founded on it—“Law And Order: SVU,” which premiered in 1999, has dealt with rape in nearly every episode of its 16-season and counting run. “Oz,” the 1997 HBO show set in a prison, regularly featured male-on-male rape.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2015/06/25/the_truth_about_tvs_rape_obsession_how_we_struggle_with_the_broken_myths_of_masculinity_on_screen_and_off/feed/31Carson and Mrs. Hughes: The radical working-class politics behind this charming “Downton Abbey” romancehttp://www.salon.com/2015/03/03/carson_and_mrs_hughes_the_radical_working_class_politics_behind_this_charming_downton_abbey_romance/
http://www.salon.com/2015/03/03/carson_and_mrs_hughes_the_radical_working_class_politics_behind_this_charming_downton_abbey_romance/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000Sonia Saraiyahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13899698Nearly buried in last night’s season finale of “Downton Abbey” was the culmination of a series-long subplot, simmering for five seasons with the audience and over a decade in the timeline of the show. The British import has killed beloved characters off with car accidents, struck down innocents with the Spanish flu, and drawn out one couple’s romance for almost a decade, but last night’s might be its most shocking twist: It finally allowed its most intimate couple a chance at romance. That’s not anyone young, or anyone rich, either; it’s the butler and the housekeeper, below-stairs.

Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes, played by acting heavyweights Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan, have been reliable fixtures of the downstairs stories in “Downton Abbey”—both as consistent fictional characters and dependable Edwardian servants. Carson’s name, in the show, is synonymous with gruff, endearing rigor; he’s more exacting about propriety than anyone else on the show, including knowing exactly where his place is. Mrs. Hughes, meanwhile, is the soul of efficiency. Anything that crosses her purview is handled with quiet expedience, whether that means managing the upstairs family’s dramas or the downstairs servants’ trials and tribulations. Unlike the other servants, they each have their own office. In the privacy of their chambers, Carson polishes the silver and filters wine in solitude, while Mrs. Hughes rotates linens and occasionally experiments with newfangled contraptions like the toaster. Dinner, for the servants, can only start when they’re both present. Carson sits at the head of the table, and Mrs. Hughes at the foot. If it sounds like they’re the de facto mother and father of the household, it’s because they are.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2015/03/03/carson_and_mrs_hughes_the_radical_working_class_politics_behind_this_charming_downton_abbey_romance/feed/25Jon Stewart mocks Rep. Aaron Schock with Instagram montage set to Taylor Swifthttp://www.salon.com/2015/02/26/jon_stewart_mocks_rep_aaron_schock_with_instagram_montage_set_to_taylor_swift/
http://www.salon.com/2015/02/26/jon_stewart_mocks_rep_aaron_schock_with_instagram_montage_set_to_taylor_swift/#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 15:52:00 +0000Sarah Grayhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13896196Jon Stewart took a look at the spending of Rep. Aaron Schock, on last night's "The Daily Show." Schock's spending has come under scrutiny, after it was revealed that he redid his congressional office to look like "Downton Abbey."

The congressman from Illinois has a habit of taking selfies wherever he travels, and some of those trips -- including a trip to London -- are being examined to see if they were paid for in the proper way according to congressional rules. Stewart of course demanded to see these Instagram pictures and displayed them in a montage set to Taylor Swift. Watch below:

]]>http://www.salon.com/2015/02/26/jon_stewart_mocks_rep_aaron_schock_with_instagram_montage_set_to_taylor_swift/feed/0“The world hears you”: Watch Joanne Froggatt’s emotional speech about her “Downton Abbey” rape storylinehttp://www.salon.com/2015/01/12/the_world_hears_you_watch_joanne_froggatts_emotional_speech_about_her_downton_abbey_rape_storyline/
http://www.salon.com/2015/01/12/the_world_hears_you_watch_joanne_froggatts_emotional_speech_about_her_downton_abbey_rape_storyline/#commentsMon, 12 Jan 2015 03:00:00 +0000Anna Silmanhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13860507Joanne Froggatt won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a TV series for her performance on “Downton Abbey" and for guiding her character, Anna Bates, through season four's emotional and controversial rape storyline. In a moving speech, Froggatt gave a shoutout to rape survivors, saying “After this storyline aired I received a small number of letters from survivors of rape and one woman summed up the thoughts of many, saying she wasn’t sure why she'd written but she just felt in some ways she wanted to be heard, and id just like to say, I heard you, and I hope saying this so publicly means in some ways you feel the world hears you." Pure class.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2015/01/12/the_world_hears_you_watch_joanne_froggatts_emotional_speech_about_her_downton_abbey_rape_storyline/feed/7Celebrity cameo season: TV guest spots to get excited about in the new yearhttp://www.salon.com/2015/01/05/celebrity_cameo_season_tv_guest_spots_to_get_excited_about_in_the_new_year/
http://www.salon.com/2015/01/05/celebrity_cameo_season_tv_guest_spots_to_get_excited_about_in_the_new_year/#commentsMon, 05 Jan 2015 22:40:00 +0000Anna Silmanhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13856129The new year is upon us, which means a whole bunch of shows will be premiering new seasons and returning from their midseason hiatuses. Suffice to say, there’s much to look forward to in TV-land, both in terms of plot development (will the gang actually Get Away With Murder?!) as well as for the bevy of celebrity guest spots and cameos our favorite shows have lined up. Here are the 10 that we’re most looking forward to:

1. Seth Rogen on "Broad City" Abbi hasn’t had the best romantic track record, from lusting unrequitedly after her neighbor to the condom, erm, incident in last season’s finale. But hopefully that will change once her new love interest, played by Seth Rogen, steps into the picture. Not only are we sensing some pretty good romantic chemistry between these two, Rogen might be one of the few people who can keep up with Abbi and Ilana's manic comedic energy. This should be good.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2015/01/05/celebrity_cameo_season_tv_guest_spots_to_get_excited_about_in_the_new_year/feed/1America’s long obsession with “Downton Abbey”: How the show became a satire of Britishnesshttp://www.salon.com/2015/01/05/americas_long_obsession_with_downton_abbey_how_the_show_became_a_satire_of_britishness/
http://www.salon.com/2015/01/05/americas_long_obsession_with_downton_abbey_how_the_show_became_a_satire_of_britishness/#commentsMon, 05 Jan 2015 21:25:00 +0000Sonia Saraiyahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13855428“Downton Abbey” is not even trying anymore. Why should it? It’s a worldwide hit, drawing in viewers from countries as diverse as Cambodia and Sweden with its frothy melodrama and its period costumes. It has a formula, and it sticks to it: The hapless folk belowstairs marvel over some new technology. Abovestairs, the aristocrats practice selfless noblesse oblige. One well-dressed person and another stare daggers at each other across the well-appointed dinner table. Someone’s suspected of a minor crime, and they either a) did it, but it wasn’t their fault or b) didn’t do it, but take on the yoke of martyrdom with quiet grace. Mrs. Patmore cries; Carson blusters. Someone or other throws a punch, and all the ladies present gasp. Daisy still looks 12, even though it’s been over a decade in the show’s timeline since season one. Michelle Dockery’s Lady Mary raises her eyebrows. Maggie Smith’s Lady Grantham makes a pithy, cutting remark; Penelope Wilton’s Isobel responds in kind; Smith’s eyes bulge and her head bobs, much like a chicken. And then everyone exchanges pained glances. The end! Roll credits.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2015/01/05/americas_long_obsession_with_downton_abbey_how_the_show_became_a_satire_of_britishness/feed/44The good, the bad and the viciously snubbed: Unpredictability rules in Golden Globe nominationshttp://www.salon.com/2014/12/11/the_good_the_bad_and_the_viciously_snubbed_unpredictability_rules_in_golden_globes_nominations/
http://www.salon.com/2014/12/11/the_good_the_bad_and_the_viciously_snubbed_unpredictability_rules_in_golden_globes_nominations/#commentsThu, 11 Dec 2014 20:34:00 +0000Erin Keanehttp://www.salon.com/?p=13842593The Golden Globe Awards are often looked upon as the boozy stepsister of the Emmys and Oscars, and that's what makes them so much more fun. Add to that the fact that they’re voted upon by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group that boasts fewer than 100 members -- compared to the roughly 15,000 members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the wide-ranging film industry group that awards the Emmys. Because the Golden Globes represent a much more narrow range of tastes, their selections can seem more whimsical than those of their larger academy counterparts, as some of today's nominations show.

This year, the HFPA favored offbeat freshman comedies on cable and streaming platforms over conventional network sitcoms like “Modern Family” and “Big Bang Theory,” despite their enduring popularity and even multiple nominations last year. The only network comedy nominated for best series is the breakout charmer “Jane the Virgin,” which premiered on the CW this fall. “Jane,” an hour-long comedy about a virgin who’s artificially inseminated by accident, is a sweet, intimate show that aims for big emotional payoffs, with a winning cast and an off-kilter but never mean-spirited sense of humor. Titular star Gina Rodriguez is easily the most appealing fresh face on prime time this fall, and Golden Globe nods to her and the show give “Jane the Virgin” a profile boost that can help its chances with Emmy voters next year, too.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/11/20/5_reasons_benedict_cumberbatch_is_the_internets_sexiest_man_alive_partner/feed/15“Downton Abbey” might kill off family dog, Isis — can you guess why?http://www.salon.com/2014/10/27/downton_abbey_might_kill_off_family_dog_isis_can_you_guess_why/
http://www.salon.com/2014/10/27/downton_abbey_might_kill_off_family_dog_isis_can_you_guess_why/#commentsMon, 27 Oct 2014 18:02:00 +0000Jenny Kutnerhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13806644The fifth season of period soap opera "Downton Abbey" won't start in the U.S. until January, but early reviews from the UK suggest the show's producers might be ready to make some odd, politically motivated directorial decisions in the next few episodes. According to the Hollywood Reporter (for what it's worth, mild spoiler alert), Lord Grantham's dog, Isis, is ill, and could very well be killed off before the end of the season. You get one guess as to why.

As British news outlets speculate about the real reason for Isis' illness, the company that produces the show in the UK, ITV, told The Independent that the name, plot point and acronym for the Islamic State are merely coincidental:

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/10/27/downton_abbey_might_kill_off_family_dog_isis_can_you_guess_why/feed/15“The Guest”: “Downton Abbey” heartthrob wreaks havoc on Americahttp://www.salon.com/2014/09/16/the_guest_downton_abbey_heartthrob_wreaks_havoc_on_america/
http://www.salon.com/2014/09/16/the_guest_downton_abbey_heartthrob_wreaks_havoc_on_america/#commentsTue, 16 Sep 2014 22:58:00 +0000Andrew O'Hehirhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13773763Those who show up for director Adam Wingard’s low-budget indie thriller “The Guest” because it stars Dan Stevens, former heartthrob of “Downton Abbey,” may well find themselves perplexed. Still, if they stick around – and if they have the right sensibility for this black-comic, ‘80s-flavored B-movie – they’ll see a terrific performance at the heart of a witty, gruesome entertainment that hardly puts a foot wrong. I don’t know if we can call “The Guest” a good movie, since Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett have a lot invested in seeming disreputable. But I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and if you’ve been lamenting the dearth of violent genre movies that don’t assume the audience to be morons, you will too.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/09/16/the_guest_downton_abbey_heartthrob_wreaks_havoc_on_america/feed/3“Game of Thrones” got more love than “Breaking Bad,” and more surprises from the Emmy nomshttp://www.salon.com/2014/07/10/game_of_thrones_got_more_love_than_breaking_bad_and_more_surprises_from_the_emmy_noms/
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/10/game_of_thrones_got_more_love_than_breaking_bad_and_more_surprises_from_the_emmy_noms/#commentsThu, 10 Jul 2014 13:20:00 +0000daddariohttp://www.salon.com/?p=13722115This morning's newly announced nominees for the Emmy Awards are, as is the case every year, more notable for what didn't get included. Most controversial so far is the exclusion of "The Good Wife" in the best drama category following the show's resurgent fifth season; other TV fans are dismayed by the exclusion of "Orphan Black" star Tatiana Maslany, who plays a panoply of very distinct clones on the BBC America show. (Both of these problems could have been solved were the TV academy to break its addiction to "Downton Abbey," but don't hold your breath.)

Here are a few of the morning's other big stories:

"Downton Abbey" really is still huge for some viewers: The critical heat is way, way off the PBS serial, but don't tell Emmy voters that -- they gave the show a surprising best drama nomination, as well as fully five of its cast members, from Dockery to guest star Paul Giamatti. Once a show gets into an Emmy groove and once voters get accustomed to checking the box, it's evidently hard to dislodge. Which brings us to ...

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/07/10/game_of_thrones_got_more_love_than_breaking_bad_and_more_surprises_from_the_emmy_noms/feed/1“Game of Thrones,” “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Office”: Let’s play Six Degrees of “Love, Actually”http://www.salon.com/2014/06/20/game_of_thrones_mad_men_breaking_bad_the_office_lets_play_six_degrees_of_love_actually/
http://www.salon.com/2014/06/20/game_of_thrones_mad_men_breaking_bad_the_office_lets_play_six_degrees_of_love_actually/#commentsFri, 20 Jun 2014 23:00:00 +0000davedaleyhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13703632In what is quite easily the dumbest of the interlocking plot lines in “Love, Actually,” a cheerfully horny and dimwitted young man named, unfortunately, Colin, flies to the U.S., where, he has reason to believe, the streets are paved with sexually tractable young women.

He lands in Milwaukee and winds up in a bar with three beauties who agree to take him home. (This was before collective bargaining in Wisconsin became so fraught.) The beauties have just a few fleeting moments of brainless dialogue, but they are January Jones, later known as Betty Draper in “Mad Men”; Ivana Milicevic, the female lead in the possibly less iconic series “Banshee”; and Elisha Cuthbert, who will be a nearly constant source of annoyance as Jack Bauer’s daughter Kim for about a decade on “24.”

Nothing all that remarkable there, right? One of the reasons this film has proven so durable – some might say unkillable – is that director Richard Curtis looked beyond the boundaries of the conventional rom-com. What if there were plotlines aimed at other audiences? What if there was a ham-fistedly obvious wish-fulfillment fantasy for all the young dudes? One therefore needs hot women, offered up like canapés. Curtis just happened to pick three actresses who had interesting work ahead of them.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/06/20/game_of_thrones_mad_men_breaking_bad_the_office_lets_play_six_degrees_of_love_actually/feed/31Gen X catastrophe in the making: 7 things to know about America’s coming inheritance explosionhttp://www.salon.com/2014/04/02/gen_x_catastophe_in_the_making_7_things_to_know_about_americas_coming_inheritance_explosion_partner/
http://www.salon.com/2014/04/02/gen_x_catastophe_in_the_making_7_things_to_know_about_americas_coming_inheritance_explosion_partner/#commentsWed, 02 Apr 2014 20:35:00 +0000Jacob Sugarmanhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13640495 Economic inequality, you’ve likely noticed, is off the charts. Inheritances and gifts have always played a big role in the distribution of wealth, accounting for about a quarter of total household wealth in the U.S. That’s a lot, but it may be nothing compared to what’s coming if we stay on the current path. Experts say inheritance is likely to play an even bigger role in our society in the coming years.

Since the 1980s, the total value of inherited wealth has gone up only a little, mitigated by such factors as a healthcare system that siphons off wealth among the elderly. But according to French economist Thomas Piketty, a leading expert on inequality, there is every reason to expect we’re going to see an explosion in inherited wealth rather soon in the industrialized world, and it’s certainly not going to be equal.

In the U.S., most people will not see a windfall as the Baby Boomers retire, but the children of the rich will enjoy an enormous transfer of wealth. America may soon look a lot more like Downton Abbey than the Land of Opportunity. Here are seven things you need to know about the coming inheritance boom.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/04/02/gen_x_catastophe_in_the_making_7_things_to_know_about_americas_coming_inheritance_explosion_partner/feed/112America’s new servant class is like “Downton Abbey” — and not in a good wayhttp://www.salon.com/2014/03/07/americas_new_servant_class_is_like_downton_abbey_%e2%80%94_and_not_in_a_good_way_partner/
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/07/americas_new_servant_class_is_like_downton_abbey_%e2%80%94_and_not_in_a_good_way_partner/#commentsFri, 07 Mar 2014 14:05:00 +0000Peter Finocchiarohttp://www.salon.com/?p=13619521In America, many people still think of household servants as something belonging to a distant age, a time less equal and democratic than our own, like the Britain of "Downton Abbey." But as we’ve entered a second Gilded Age, the clock seems to be turning back, and the super-rich are increasingly relying on servants to feed, clothe and make them comfy. The economic "recovery" is not producing nearly enough jobs, but the servant sector is certainly growing.

Agencies are swamped with calls for butlers, chefs, drivers and other staff. What’s a private jet without your own flight attendant? What's a yacht without a massage therapist? According to Claudia Kahn, founder of a Los Angeles-based a staffing agency, the rich are requesting "'Downton Abbey'-type service” to match what they see on TV. She notes that a housekeeper for a zillionaire may earn up to $60,000 a year (the industry median salary is less than $20,000), but a “lady’s maid” can take in $75,000. Full-time butlers can earn $70,000 a year, and some who travel around with a family on yachts or private jets could earn as much as $200,000 a year.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/03/07/americas_new_servant_class_is_like_downton_abbey_%e2%80%94_and_not_in_a_good_way_partner/feed/1Will Ferrell figure skated to the “Downton Abbey” theme song and it was awesomehttp://www.salon.com/2014/02/21/will_ferrell_figure_skated_to_the_downton_abbey_theme_song_and_it_was_awesome/
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/21/will_ferrell_figure_skated_to_the_downton_abbey_theme_song_and_it_was_awesome/#commentsFri, 21 Feb 2014 14:26:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13608411Will Ferrell, an Olympic gold medalist in the sport of making people laugh, appeared on "The Tonight Show" Thursday night to debut his impressive figure skating/prancing routine. Donning a spandex butler outfit, Ferrell swayed and skipped and twirled to the airy "Downton Abbey" theme song.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/02/21/will_ferrell_figure_skated_to_the_downton_abbey_theme_song_and_it_was_awesome/feed/3“Winter’s Tale” and America’s tortured quest for the divinehttp://www.salon.com/2014/02/15/winters_tale_and_americas_tortured_quest_for_the_divine/
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/15/winters_tale_and_americas_tortured_quest_for_the_divine/#commentsSat, 15 Feb 2014 17:00:00 +0000Andrew O'Hehirhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13603429When I ask myself why Akiva Goldsman’s ridiculous spiritual fable “Winter’s Tale” amused me, troubled me and fascinated me so much, I need to go a little deeper than the fact that it’s one of the weirdest Hollywood movies of recent years. It’s also a quasi-religious film arriving at a quasi-religious moment in American cultural history, one that self-consciously engages with our nation’s long-standing relationship with the divine and reflects, in all too literal-minded a fashion, what the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has described as the “very diverse and extremely fluid” character of American religious belief. Like Darren Aronofsky’s forthcoming epic “Noah” and Mark Burnett’s Jesus biopic “Son of God,” “Winter’s Tale” is calibrated to appeal both to orthodox believers and to at least some secular-minded viewers, especially that growing proportion who don’t consider themselves atheists or agnostics but are not affiliated with any religious denomination.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/02/15/winters_tale_and_americas_tortured_quest_for_the_divine/feed/60Should we worry about a “Downton Abbey” curse?http://www.salon.com/2014/02/14/should_we_worry_about_a_downton_abbey_curse/
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/14/should_we_worry_about_a_downton_abbey_curse/#commentsFri, 14 Feb 2014 17:22:00 +0000daddariohttp://www.salon.com/?p=13602835This weekend sees the release of the critically reviled "Winter's Tale," an era-spanning romance starring Colin Farrell and Jessica Brown Findlay. Farrell is familiar from years of projects of all levels of quality; Findlay is a newer face, but will be known to millions as the late Lady Sybil on "Downton Abbey." She was one of two actors who were written off the show so they could pursue movie careers -- the other is Dan Stevens, whose character, the show's romantic lead, died at the conclusion of the third season.

"Downton Abbey" guarantees fame of a very specific sort -- the actors crisscross the globe for awards ceremonies honoring their work in one project, but so far, none have managed to break through in other projects. Findlay has several upcoming projects that promise, perhaps, a bit of the movie-star sheen that "Winter's Tale" won't likely grant her; she's to appear in a "Frankenstein" adaptation opposite Daniel Radcliffe, and the next film by "An Education" director Lone Scherfig. From there, the forecast for "Downton" stars is a bit muddy; Stevens is set to play a supporting role in an Adam Sandler movie and a Liam Neeson action flick; Michelle Dockery, who stars as Lady Mary, is in a different Neeson film, the forthcoming "Non-Stop," as a flight attendant, and played a small role in "Anna Karenina"; Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, had a supporting role in "The Monuments Men." Maggie Smith works all the time, but she also has two Oscars on the shelf.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/02/14/should_we_worry_about_a_downton_abbey_curse/feed/25“Downton Abbey’s” right-wing worldview: Benevolent rich people caring for servantshttp://www.salon.com/2014/01/19/downton_abbeys_right_wing_worldview_benevolent_rich_people_caring_for_servants/
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/19/downton_abbeys_right_wing_worldview_benevolent_rich_people_caring_for_servants/#commentsSun, 19 Jan 2014 21:00:00 +0000daddariohttp://www.salon.com/?p=13577087Plenty of "prestige dramas" -- the sort of programs that get bedecked with Emmy nominations, air on Sunday nights, and are generally seen as part of an intelligent person's weekly schedule -- are, when thought about carefully, a bit wince-inducing. What's the deal with all the gratuitously naked women and their brutal treatment on "Game of Thrones"? Just how much are we supposed to find Walter White's sociopathic (and, to some eyes, "badass") behavior on "Breaking Bad" compelling and thrilling? Is "Mad Men" glorifying an era of glossy surfaces and unlimited whiskey and cigarettes as it pats us on the head for getting why racism is wrong?

All of these are arguable cases. Modern television, by its very nature, asks us to stick with reprehensible characters season after season, so eventually sympathy or at least casual acceptance of nastiness will develop. If people were really to get the comeuppance they deserve, there'd be no more show, and we want the show to keep going. But at least shows like "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" are made with an awareness that their characters are antiheroes.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/01/19/downton_abbeys_right_wing_worldview_benevolent_rich_people_caring_for_servants/feed/181The 9 silliest “Downton Abbey” tie-in productshttp://www.salon.com/2014/01/07/the_9_silliest_downton_abbey_tie_in_products/
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/07/the_9_silliest_downton_abbey_tie_in_products/#commentsTue, 07 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000daddariohttp://www.salon.com/?p=13570746Any hit show will get its tie-ins -- products intended to give ravenous fans something to spend their money on in the few moments a day not spent watching the reruns. One can still buy "Sex and the City" martini glasses or "Sopranos" cookbooks. "Mad Men" had its own Banana Republic line of clothes.

But all of those shows were at least somewhat connected to the present moment; one might not be a sassy New York singleton or an Italian in northern New Jersey or a midcentury ad exec, but drinking or cooking or dressing like these folks wouldn't be entirely out of place.

Not so "Downton Abbey," the explicitly escapist PBS soap; viewers can soak up the mise-en-scène all while knowing there's absolutely no way they could indulge themselves in such dubious pleasures -- rich, uncomfortably structured gowns; a giant, drafty mansion; 24-hour servants.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/01/07/the_9_silliest_downton_abbey_tie_in_products/feed/10Downton Abbey’s Jim Carter dresses up as Santa and cancels Christmashttp://www.salon.com/2013/12/12/downton_abbeys_jim_carter_dresses_up_as_santa_and_cancels_christmas/
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/12/downton_abbeys_jim_carter_dresses_up_as_santa_and_cancels_christmas/#commentsThu, 12 Dec 2013 21:15:00 +0000Lindsay Abramshttp://www.salon.com/?p=13555972With the North Pole melting (and reindeer dying off) Santa decided to go ahead and cancel Christmas. In new video from the environmental group Greenpeace, Jim Carter, who plays the butler in "Downton Abbey," dresses up as something between St. Nick and a hostage to deliver the bad tidings.

World leaders who ignored his repeated warnings about climate change and Arctic drilling, he adds, "are now at the top of my naughty list.”

As Media Matters reports, Rush Limbaugh and Fox News co-host Eric Bolling jumped in to assert, respectively, that "the ice is not melting at the North Pole" and "the globe is getting colder" -- neither of which is true.